Best Driveway Layouts for Your Home and Budget
When looking at driveways for your home, there are a variety of options that you can consider. The three driveway layouts that are most common and most practical are straight driveways, curved driveways, and circular driveways. Which layout choice you decide to go with typically depends on which functionality you want to prioritize as well as the current layout of your property.
As for functionality one must ask themself what they need in a driveway. Do you want to be able to turn around? Do you want more than one car to be able to pass? How many cars do you want to fit?
The current layout of your property is possibly even more of a contributing factor than the functional wants of the homeowner. Things such as garage location, large immovable boulders or trees, and other landmarks can make you have limited layout options.
The layout choice of your driveway is entirely up to you as long as you consider these factors. Style and looks is always going to sway people’s choices, and that is okay. As long as the driveway is practical and can properly fit in your allotted space, you cannot go wrong.
Straight Driveway Layouts
Straight driveways are the most simplistic of designs and served primarily one main function, easy parking. depending on your spacial situation of your home, sometimes a straight layout is the most practical to install. There are typically two situations in which a straight drive is best for a home. The first situation is if the garage or home entryway is very close to the street entrance. Coincidentally the other situation in which a straight layout is most practical is if there is a great distance between the street and your garage or entry way.
With short distances, there is no room to install a circular or curved driveway. It makes most sense to have a straight driveway that serves its purpose without over crowding the front of the property.
On the other hand if your house and garage are set far off the street, a straight driveway is the most affordable and functional choice. The large distance separating your house and the street will be shortest in a straight line. By forming a straight line, you will use far less materials which in turn will save money. Also, it makes travel to the street from your house as short of a distance as possible.
Curved Driveway Layouts
Curved driveway layouts typically are installed to complement immovable landmarks on the property, or to help connect your home with the street, even if the accesses don’t align with each other. Sometimes the entry way onto your property from the street and your home itself cannot be connected in a straight line due to many reasons. The most common reason is an immovable object such as a large boulder or tree. Other times the entry ways simply do not align in a way that will allow a straight driveway to be built.
Having a curved driveway can also add a really nice thought-out look if incorporated with landscaping. Many curved driveways that bend their way around boulders or trees can be built up with proper landscaping which will allow the driveway to look even better than imagined. The visual benefits of this driveway layout is one of its main attractions.
Circular Driveway Layouts
Circular driveway layouts are often times referred to as a “horseshoe” driveways, and are one of the most popular layouts seen across residential homes. The reason for the popularity is due to the overall convenience and design balance this driveway has to offer. As described in its name, this layout features a horseshoe shape that has two access points to the street. The two access points allow for one of the most user friendly layouts available. This allows the driver to be able to enter and exit the property without having to turn around or back out. By not having to back out or turn around, the driver of the vehicle also will have the best possible view of the street when exiting the driveway.
This driveway layout offers some of the best landscaping and customization options as well. Due to the curved nature of this layout, there is lots of open surface that can be landscaped in any way you desire. This allows a curved style when finished to have one of the nicest looks a driveway can have. The high balance of looks and function make this driveway one of the most desired options.
